My questions are:
- How will COOL improve learning outcomes? Where are the examples?
- What will they provide that we don't have already?
- How will teacher expertise be prioritised to ensure quality learning happens?
- How will these initiatives will be funded and what impact will that have on schools? By that I mean, if global/bulk funding happens, will they provide a means to cut costs for schools and replace face-to-face teaching with online learning?
As per usual, it's not the tool but how we use it that makes a difference for learning, and in education, the funding and implementation of the system as well. If the US experience of charter COOLs is anything to go by (such as in this article) lack of direct expert assistance from teachers can have huge issues for students outcomes. This problem is directly linked to creating communities of practice (CoP) between teachers to enhance expertise and develop better learning outcomes for students.
Ettiene Wagner (2000) describes CoP as the 'basic building blocks of a social learning system.' Expertise is shared and develops through discussion as each individual both adds to the knowledge base and expands their own thus creating dynamic opportunities for learning. This is the wonderful concept of learning reciprocity evident in Kaupapa Māori as Ako (Rangahau).
According to Wagner (2000), a community of practice develops successfully along three main principles. Through 'enterprise' the investigation of ideas is energised by the momentum of the group, 'mutuality of social capital' is established by the committed and respectful environment of sharing ideas and contributing to the group's purpose and aims, and 'repertoire' becomes the ability of the community to reflect, accept multiple perspectives and explore possibilities to encourage growth. A sense of belonging through contribution fosters more participation, and a growth mindset fosters ongoing growth.
One example of this is Twitter. In the space of twenty-four hours this has happened:
Presto! From a community of practice, a new community of practice is born. Organic, dynamic sharing of expertise to improve learning facilitated by online opportunities.
Interestingly, Wagner (2000) points out that not all CoP are positive to their environment. They can develop a fixed mindset or become stagnant if the repertoire is not developed in a way that stretches the horizon of possibility or if the enterprise is so fixed that contributions are only respected as a means to create confirmation bias. Also, CoPs need to operate at the edges of their boundaries to expose expertise to new experiences and create new growth. This has to be continuously balanced and negotiated so as to not lose sight of the original purpose. Prof. Hattie's (2016) research shows that the two most important indicators for student's success are #2: Teacher expertise, and #1: Teachers collective expertise.
It will be interesting to see if COOLs create the conditions for expert CoPs to develop and make a meaningful difference to students' learning, or succumb to educational business providers keen to fill a gap by providing instant access to bulk educational content.
References:
Hattie, J. (2016). Hattie Ranking: 195 Influences And Effect Sizes Related To Student Achievement. Retrieved from http://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effect-sizes-learning-achievement/
Wenger, E.(2000).Communities of practice and social learning systems.Organization,7(2), 225-246
You pose important questions which have not been answered by the Bill; because of this lack of clarity, those who want education to be rich and social and relevant to the learner's needs, are worried about whether COOL will meet these goals. We worry that it is just a cost cutting device which will undermine the work we are doing.
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